EmailA world-renowned bird observatory on a remote Shetland island is set to rise from the ashes.
The Fair Isle Bird Observatory (FIBO) went up in flames last March.
No one was injured in the blaze, but the building, which offered accommodation to visitors to the island, was completely destroyed.
Glasgow-based architects ICA has now submitted a planning application for a new observatory and guesthouse ahead of its projected completion by summer 2021.
The accommodation will include 25 guestrooms, a warden’s house, staff quarters and front-and-back-of-house areas.
Revealing the first images, Steven Byrne, project lead architect, said: “I am delighted that the planning application has now been submitted for the vastly important FIBO on Fair Isle.
“I am privileged to work on such a unique project.”
Fair Isle – located between the Shetland mainland and Orkney – is the most remote inhabited island in the UK.
The observatory – with panoramic views out to the North Sea – has gathered bird census data since opening in 1948.
Mr Byrne added: “The nature of the Fair Isle project includes a community aspect, meaning that it will have a significant positive impact to the island as a whole. This makes it a real joy to be involved in.”
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